Sam Thompson has been forced to renovate his kitchen for a second time, more than a year after his split from Zara McDermott, because her initials were carved into the wooden drawers and bronze handles. The former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here winner revealed the issue during a recent episode of his podcast Staying Relevant with best friend Pete Wicks.
Thompson explained that the personalised touches were not his idea, but that Zara had their initials chiselled into the kitchen fixtures, making it impossible to cover up. He told listeners: 'I had to redo the kitchen, you know I had to. It was a lovely kitchen at the start but I had a relationship finish and I had names carved into the wood. It wasn’t my idea, it wasn’t! Basically they were also on the drawers, so I had to change the kitchen.'
The couple previously shared their home renovations on an Instagram account called The Thompson Project, where they showed off the engraved 'S' and 'Z' on bronze door handles. Thompson and McDermott split at the end of 2024, and McDermott is now dating former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson.
Thompson has since started a new relationship with influencer Talitha Balinska, whom he began dating in September 2024 and went public with in December. On his podcast, he revealed that he has told Balinska he loves her for the first time, describing an awkward but sweet moment on the sofa where he eventually said the words and she replied in kind.
